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New Powerball® Record: Jackpot Hits Est. $600 Million For Saturday

Giant Powerball Prize Is Now
Largest Ever In Game, Mega Millions® Also Climbing

DES MOINES, Iowa - There's jackpot news galore
right now, with Powerball's big prize climbing to an
estimated $600 million annuity ($376.9 million cash
option) for Saturday's drawing and the Mega Millions
jackpot rolling to an estimated $190 million ($140.9
million cash) for Friday's drawing. Not to be left
out, the Hot Lotto® jackpot also continues to grow,
with that cash prize hitting an estimated $6.21
million for its drawing on Saturday.

Saturday's Powerball jackpot is the largest in the 21-year history
of the game and the second-largest lottery jackpot ever worldwide. The
previous record Powerball jackpot of $587.5 million was won
on Nov. 28, split between two tickets in Arizona and
Missouri. The largest jackpot in the world was a
$656 million Mega Millions prize won on March 30,
2012. That big prize was split by three tickets in
Illinois, Kansas and Maryland.

The Powerball jackpot was last won in the drawing on
March 30, so it has been growing for about six
weeks.

Strong sales across the country are the reason the
prize is taking big jumps now. Saturday's estimated
jackpot is about $236 million higher than the $363.9
million prize that was up for grabs in Wednesday's
drawing.

The odds of winning the jackpot in Powerball are about 1 in 175.2 million
because there are about 175.2 million ways you can combine the numbers in the
game to make a play. By tracking sales, lottery officials can estimate how
many of the possible combinations have been purchased for a particular drawing.
Lottery officials estimate that about 80 percent of all the possible combinations
will be purchased for Saturday's drawing.

Players are encouraged to sign the back of their
tickets and to keep them in a safe place. The
lottery also suggests that jackpot winners should
seek financial and legal advice as they make plans
to enjoy their new winning experience.

"And don't forget to check your ticket for other
prizes," said Lottery CEO Terry Rich "In addition to
the jackpot, there are eight other prize levels in
Powerball, ranging from $4 for matching just the
Powerball up to $2 million for matching the first
five numbers with the Power Play®."

When You Combine All That Money …

Between Powerball, Mega Millions and Hot Lotto, a combined jackpot estimate
of $796.21 million will be on the line in lottery drawings this weekend.
And that huge amount is the biggest combined total ever.
When the Mega Millions jackpot hit its record level
back in March 2012, a combined total of about $716
million was on the line in lottery drawings that
weekend. Either way, it's an attention-grabbing
amount.

Is This The New Normal?

If it seems like we've been seeing bigger jackpots
more often in lottery games, that's because we have.
Changes designed to achieve bigger, faster-growing
jackpots were made over the past few years, and they
are producing exactly that. In January 2010, most
U.S. lotteries began selling both Mega Millions and
Powerball rather than just one of the games alone,
and in January 2012, $2 Powerball debuted. Both
factors have contributed to the run of giant
jackpots we're seeing today.

Two Iowa Tickets Came Sooooo Close Wednesday Night

Two Powerball tickets purchased in Iowa were just
one number away from having a share of the jackpot
in Wednesday's $363.9 million jackpot drawing. Both
tickets matched four of the first five numbers and
the Powerball to win a $10,000 prize. They were sold
at these lucky stores: Kum & Go, 1001 Sanborn Ave.
in Okoboji; and Kum & Go, 530 North Ave. in Norwalk.

Iowa's Lottery Hot Spots

Here is a list of the Top 10 retailers with the
highest lotto sales in Iowa from Sunday through
Wednesday, leading up to the last Powerball drawing:

Hy-Vee, 20 Wilson Ave. SW in Cedar Rapids

Hy-Vee, 1843 Johnson Ave. NW in Cedar Rapids

Dahl's, 4343 Merle Hay Road in Des Moines

Hy-Vee, 4605 Fleur Drive. in Des Moines

Pronto Market, 204 E. South St. in Manly

Hy-Vee, 1725 Jordan Creek Parkway in West Des Moines

Hy-Vee, 1823 E. Kimberly Road in Davenport

Hy-Vee, 1745 Madison Ave. in Council Bluffs

Hy-Vee, 1700 Valley West Drive in West Des Moines

Big 10 Mart, 1225 Boyson Road in Hiawatha.

California Is In!

This big Powerball jackpot run is the first that
will include California. Powerball sales in that
state just started on April 7. The addition of
California to the mix truly takes Powerball to the
national level - folks from New York across to
California and Florida up to the state of Washington
now play the game. And with that national exposure
comes the possibility of lotteries working with
other national brands. What if you could win
brand-name merchandise as part of the game? The
possibilities are endless.

How Do I Play?

The huge jackpot is attracting a lot of first-time
players. Here's how to play, if you're just getting
in: Powerball players choose five numbers from a
pool of 59 numbers and another number - the
Powerball - from a separate pool of 35. Plays cost
$2 and you can choose your own numbers or let the
terminal generate a play for you by asking for an
easy pick.

Players who purchase the Power Play option for an
additional $1 per play can increase their winnings
(except for the jackpot) by up to four times the
amount.

Drawings are held at 9:59 p.m. on Wednesdays and
Saturdays. Here in Iowa, you can buy a ticket for
Saturday's drawing up until 8:59 p.m. that day.

A Few Words About Office Pools

A lot of folks may be thinking about forming office
pools or buying tickets with friends, family and
neighbors. It's a fun thing to do, and hey, you
don't want to be the only person still at work
Monday when everyone else has won, right? The Iowa
Lottery offers these reminders to keep your pool
play fun and hassle free:

Know the rules of your pool and put them in
writing. Group play details should be discussed,
written and distributed to all members as the
group's official rules. Some issues you may want to
cover include: If a regular playing member is not
present on lottery collection day will they be
included or excluded? What if a regular player has
someone else put in money towards their game share,
do both players receive an equal share? Can players
come in and out of the group? When the rules are in
writing, there is no question about how to split the
funds.

Provide everyone in your pool with copies of the
group's tickets before the drawing. This should
include the identifying numbers on the back of the
tickets. You may also want to tell people the name
and address of the retail location where the tickets
were purchased and the approximate time of the
purchase.

If the person buying the tickets for your pool
also wants to buy tickets on their own, the two
purchases should be kept separate. You may even want
to consider buying the two sets of tickets at
different stores so it is clear which tickets are
for the group and which are for you.

Put together a list of the names and telephone
numbers of everyone in your pool. In particular, you
should have that information for the people who are
in charge of buying the tickets and the person who
will hold the tickets.

And finally, remember that the Iowa Lottery has
added a "Play 'Em All" option in Powerball, Mega
Millions and Hot Lotto. The Play 'Em All option in
Powerball gets you 35 plays for $70, one for each of
the 35 numbers available in the Powerball pool for a
drawing. You'll be guaranteed to match the Powerball
at least once.

Please Play Responsibly

Rich predicts high sales in Iowa this week and
reminds everyone to play responsibly. "As you've
probably heard us say before, 'Remember to play with
your head not over your head,'" he said. "The fun of
our games is that you can do a lot of dreaming for
just a few dollars."

About the Jackpot

The Powerball jackpot starts at a guaranteed $40
million and grows from there until it's won. Jackpot
winners in the game can choose to receive their
prize as a one-time, lump-sum payment or in 30
annuitized payments over 30 years, with the annual
payment increasing over time to accommodate for
inflation. The cash option is a one-time, lump-sum
payment equal to the cash in the Powerball jackpot
prize pool from the sale of tickets across the
country. Here in Iowa, jackpot winners pay 25
percent federal withholding and 5 percent state
withholding on their prize.

Eight lottery tickets sold in Iowa have won
Powerball jackpots so far, including two just last
year alone. The largest Powerball jackpot won in
Iowa to date came in June. The Shipping 20, a group
of co-workers from the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar
Rapids, claimed that $241 million Powerball prize.

Powerball History

Powerball and Mega Millions are both lotto games
with jackpots that have climbed into the hundreds of
millions of dollars. Today, Powerball tickets are
sold by 45 lotteries: Iowa, 42 other states, the
District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands..

Powerball Winner

Helpful Links

Prizes and Proceeds

Since the lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $3.7 billion in prizes while the lottery
has raised more than $1.7 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for our state's veterans and their
families through the Iowa Veterans Trust Fund, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund,
and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions
in the state and build and repair schools.

Player Info

The Iowa Lottery makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the winning numbers, prize payouts and other information
posted on the Iowa Lottery website. The official winning numbers are those selected in the respective drawings and recorded
under the observation of an independent accounting firm. In the event of a discrepancy, the official drawing results shall
prevail. All names, logos and information contained within these pages are meant for personal use only and may not be
reproduced or distributed without the expressed written consent of the Iowa Lottery. You must be at least 21 years old to purchase
Iowa Lottery tickets. Please play responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please call 1-800-BETSOFF for help.